Contents

Plot

Synopsis

Origin of the Title

A "kernel panic" occurs when a UNIX operating system detects a fatal error from which it cannot recover. It is roughly the same as a "blue screen of death" (stop error) in Windows. The panic sends highly technical information to administrators and developers designed to help the identify the problem.

The extension: The .ksd extension denotes a file encoded by Keep Safe, an app providing military-grade encryption of devices and back-ups for video and photos.

Summary

A flashback reveals Romero wanted to rent the arcade to Mobley, who recruited Romero into fsociety instead. After a confusing conversation with Tyrell on the phone, Elliot tries to completely get rid of Mr. Robot. The news reports Gideon's death, shocking Elliot. Later, Mobley finds Romero dead at home. Mobley and Trenton fear the Dark Army is hunting them, and grow suspicious of Darlene and Elliot. Dominique DiPierro takes snapshots of a list of FBI agents found on the computer table at the crime scene. Ray is on the hunt for a cyber engineer for his own purposes, and manages to convince Elliot to open up about Mr. Robot. Phillip Price invites Angela to dinner and tries to make her take matters less personally. Dominique decides to pursue the matter of Romero and his computer; while visiting Romero's mother, she finds a poster of the "End of the World Party", which leads her to fsociety's arcade.

Episode Notes

Based on Romero's criminal record, the conversation with Mobley where he was recruited takes place at Christmas, 2014.

Elliot takes adderall to get rid of Mr. Robot. Adderall is a stimulant generally prescribed to treat ADHD. It improves attention and wakefulness, but in larger doses, side effects include euphoria, insomnia, hallucinations and paranoia. Elliot takes up to 200mg; the maximum therapeutic dose for adults is 40mg.

The print on Phillip Price's wall is the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Yugoslav nationalist at Sarajevo, which triggered World War I.

Technology

In the flashback, Mobley tried to recruit Romero due to his skills in phreaking. Phreaking was the skill of emulating audio frequencies to access and manipulate telephone systems before phones became digital.

Romero's PC was likely ignited by thermite trap that triggered when FBI agents tried to access his computer. Thermite is a pyrotechnic that burns at high temperatures to melt the metal plates or silicon chips in hard drives.

Ray and his associates use Bitcoin for their unspecified business. Bitcoin is an open-source cryptocurrency using an open ledger with public and private keys. Transactions in are anonymous to others with access to the network, so it has become popular with criminals.

Music

"Holly, Jolly Christmas". Recorded by Burl Ives (1964). Plays as Romero take Mobley to see the Fun Society arcade for the first time.

"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". Recorded by Dusty Springfield (1966). Plays as Romero locks up the arcade after being recruited by Mobley.

"Opening", from the soundtrack of Mishima. Composed by Phillip Glass, performed by the Phillip Glass Ensemble (1985). Plays when Elliot imagines himself being kidnapped and forced to drink fluid concrete.

"Lovely Allen". Recorded by Holy F**k (2007). Plays in the montage where Elliot realizes the adderall has worked and Mr. Robot is gone.

"Just Say the Word". Recorded by Jerry Townes (2011). Plays as Angela arrives for her dinner with Phillip Price.

Trivia

Romero's first name is Leslie.

Dom talks to Alexa, developed by Amazon for its Echo device. This accompanies Amazon.com's exclusive streaming rights for Season 1 of Mr. Robot.

During cybersex, Dom's username is "Deeeepsteep" and her partner is happyhardonhenry806, a reference to Christian Slater's character in the movie Pump up the Volume.

Easter Eggs

In Dom's apartment, a digital clock can be seen blinking at 12:00 indicating that it has suffered power outage. This is a reference to the frequent blackouts which plague the world of the show.

Deleted Scenes

Dom is seen arrives at the FBI office when a coworker, Jesse, approaches her and complains that he has lost his vacation. He also complains about a timeshare presentation he and his wife endured in Mexico.

At Fidelio's, after they toast, a man and woman dressed well in fsociety masks enter and sit at a nearby table. They pretend to eat food from McDonalds, causing visible irritation at the E Corp table. The concierge returns and threatens to call the police again. The man puts a bag with a giant dollar bill sign on the table. The concierge reiterates that they need to leave and they do with mock annoyance. She apologizes to Price, who asks for the fries and get a laugh from the table.

Quotes

"I have burrowed underneath your brain. I am nested there. I am the scream in your mind. You will cooperate, my son. I will make you, because I own you!" - Mr. Robot

"Perhaps you find it as fascinating as I do... How a man can change the whole world with a bullet in the right place." - Phillip Price

"I'm saying we just committed the crime of the century, and they're trying to cover their tracks. And right now, we're the tracks." - Mobley

"I'm talking about all organized religion... exclusive groups created to manage control, a dealer getting people hooked on the drug of hope, his followers nothing but addicts who want their hit of bullshit to keep their... their dopamine of ignorance, addicts afraid to believe the truth... that there is no order, there's no power, that all religions are just metastasizing mind worms meant to divide us so it's easier to rule us by the charlatans that want to run us. All we are to them are paying fanboys of their poorly written sci-fi franchise." – Elliot

"Control is about as real as a one-legged unicorn taking a leak at the end of a double rainbow." - Ray Heyworth